Contents.

CONTENTS .

L EADERS 373 Consecration of thc Gallery Lodge 374 Consecration of the Mozart Lodge , No . 1929 374 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Cornwall 376 Masonic History ami Historians 376

Grand Chapter of Canada 377 National Great Priory of Canada 377 Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite 377 C ORRESPONDENCEProvincial Grand Standard Bearers , S : c .... 37 S Thc So-called Past Master's Degree 37 S Answer to llro . Jacob Norton 378 The Uses of Frecmasonrv 37 S

CORRESI'OXDEVCE ( continued)—'A Masonic Archaeological Association ... 37 s Mendicant Masons 37 8 Reviews 37 s Masonic Notes and Queries 37 REPORTS OF MASONIC

MEETINGSCraft Masonry 379 Instruction . T 3 S 0 Royal Arch 3 S 0 Masonic and General Tidings 3 Sl Lodge Meetings for Next Week 382 Presentation to Bro . G . Matt , 1391 3 S 2 Mark Masonry 3 Ancient and Accepted Rite 3 S 2

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WE arc informed , on good authority , that Archbishop MCCABE in a recent Charge has attributed all the evils of revolution , all thc changes of political struggles , and has attributed all the uneasiness and even "Nihilism" which are at present afloat , to Freemasons and Freemasonry . He places , as far as he can do , " under the ban of the Church " all

Freemasons , everywhere ! Poor Freemasons ! And yet , we think , we are justified in saying that not a single member of our Order i . s in any way affected by this terrific discharge of maledictory artillery . Even those worthy Roman Catholic brethren of ours ,- —for Freemasonry boasts many such , —and who are doubly condemned , do not seem to " heed " this loo common

" outcome " just now of ignorant intolerance and rampant bigotry . We speak strongly because we feel so . What can be a greater farce ? What must be a more intense mockery than this outpouring of unjust , ill-informed and self-constituted judges of Freemasons and Freemasonry , against a Society whose first principles they have not even mastered , —whose acts and

results they complacently ignore ? Indeed , wc sometimes feel that such an expression of vindictive reprobation is not only very unfitting , but very impertinent , on the part of those who are in no way justified or competent to express such condemnation , and whose "definitive sentence " is openly contrary to the express provisions of their own vaunted " Canon

law . " All such " leather and prunella , " for it is nothing more , really and truly constitute a mournful parody on thc "dogmata" of any religious body which professes to offer to fallen man the Divine message of mercy , sympathy , pity and charily . That in some cases Freemasons abroad are foolish in speech , and perverse in act , we do not think it worth while to

contend , nor do we even seek to deny ; but in Great Britain , as is well-known to Archbishop MCCABE and all industrious incriminalors of Freemasonry , Freemasons are an emphatically loyal and peaceable Order , manfully supporting , as in Ireland , law and good government , opposing sedition and revolution under all circumstances . To show the effect of such unwise

proceedings even abroad , the result of such harsh speeches , and such childish censures , a young Roman Catholic Freemason , whom we ourselves know , finding himself openly and personally excommunicated simply because he was a Freemason , has left a religious communion which so tramples under foot deliberately and completely every principle of toleration and justice ,

fair dealing and truth . Archbishop MCCABE deserves grave reprehension from all who value honesty , reality , kindly good will and common sense , in that , ignoring the past and ignorr . nt of the present , he seeks to brand with unhallowed stigma our beneficent and loyal and kindly-hearted Fraternity .

' -ucl . il y , Freemasonry cares little for such attack or such assailants ; and perhaps , after all , the best course for us lo do is lo leave them all to the limbo" of silence and contempt .

# « 1 ! ca " attention elsewhere to a little review of a " facsimile sheet" anent ¦ - LIAS ASHMOLE , which , interesting itself , serves to show in what direction careful students are now moving—the happy and long-needed path of accurate

and - consistent investigation . For much yet remains lo be " overhauled , " ^ ° re to be " unearthed , " before we can fairly say we have marked the prolegomena of actual Freemasonry . " When the history of Freemasonry comes to be written , —and we may live to see more than one— , we think that

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common justice and fairness will require that due praise be accorded to that little band of Masonic students , which for years past , " in season and out of season , " has raised the cry of " fact , not fiction . " To them , one and all , corporally and individually , separately and collectively , we owe some

gratitude , we venture to think , for often unvalued labours and unrequited exertions . To them—the " pioneers " of Masonic investigation—we in England especially are indebted for the fact , that we can boast an English Masonic Critical School , and which , we feel bound to add , is second to none in zeal ,

accuracy , and acumen . The Freemason has from the first hailed all such efforts and commended all such enquiries in that , favourable to " light , " in the true spirit of Freemasonry , it has felt it ever to be its bounden duty to

encourage all such investigations as tend lo the elucidation of the mysterious annals of our Order , and lo smooth away those difficulties which still constitute a clinging " crux , " alike to the Masonic believer and student—a subject of ridicule to the non-Masonic sceptic , and the ill-informed antagonist .

* * THE " Bore " is an institution of society whose existence we all recognize and at whose presence we all tremble . Against his attacks we are absolutely defenceless , and often our only resource is patient resignation loan infliction

we all equally deplore but we have no possibility of avoiding . Even Freemasonry is not free from such a state of things , and though , owing to less frequent opportunities of meeting , the habits and proceedings of thc " bore " are less trying than in normal society ; still he has it in his power , and we need

not doubt but that he persistently and exultingly uses such power , to inflict considerable annoyance and pain on his "brethren in Masonry . " Such is the Mason of one idea , which he will ventilate whenever hc has a chance ; such is the brother with a grievance , which he will dilate upon , more or less connectedly

in every society and on every occasion when he thinks he can find an opportunity of doing so ; such is the orator who will speak when every one else is fully satisfied with the "feast of reason and the flow of soul ; " such is the member of the lodge who will bring forward motion upon motion , though

he has not the remotest chance evidently of carrying one or the other . The memory of our readers will supply them , we venture to think , with more than one pregnant illustration of the truth of our description , and the reality of the evil , and the nuisance—an unmitigated evil and nuisance , especially in Freemasonry , which we think it right to denounce and deprecate to-day .

* * THE last number of the " Masonic Magazine " is a very interesting one foi various reasons , and the contents contain a great deal of important

information for Masonic students as well as instruction for Masonic readers . We understand also lhat the number for October will contain some most interesting articles .

_ . __ OUR readers will see that a correspondence has arisen relative to a Masonic Archaeological Association , and the possibility of eithet reviving an old one or forming a new one . Of the need and desirability of such an

Institution we have no doubt , and that it will do a great deal of good to Freemasonry in England is , we also think , beyond question . That there is also plenty of matier for Masonic students to consider , bolh as regards the history and archaeology of our Order , has long been well-known to those who

have looked into the subject however lightly . But when we say this we do not shut our eyes to many special difficulties , and before we commence a new Institution , if we doso , we ought , we think , to have some account ofthe older one . It existed , as we know ; it held meetings ; it elected life

members ; it received subscriptions ; but what has become of it ? As far as we know , no account of its proceedings , no list of its members , no baJ _ ... c _ -s _ cct of its account have ever been published . It may be that thc best course to follow for those who wish to form an Archaeological Association is to

commence " dc novo entirely ; but for fear that " abortive efforts " and " unsuccessful results " in thc same direction previously should prejudice a new Institution , we have thought it well to say what we have said in all

frankness and friendliness , and we await any explanations which any one is good enough to offer , as we feel certain that all will admit both the propriety of our suggestions and the fairness of our remarks ,